When you first have a child, there are lots of things that people prepare you for.
Whether it’s the sleepless nights, the adorable noises or the feeling of overwhelming love your heart will experience when they smile for the first time, every parent will be keen to share their memories of the moments that stick out, and this can go a long way in helping you to feel more ready when you have your own child.
What people don’t prepare you for, however, is how your holidays will change – irrevocably – forever.
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It’s not so much where you travel – adventurous types can still seek out thrills in foreign lands – but how.
Gone are the days of packing a 7kg carry-on suitcase with a few pieces of swimwear and a couple of dresses before sauntering straight onto an airplane for a glass of bubbles.
No, now every trip, whether it’s three days or three weeks, requires meticulous planning, countless Notes tabs in your iPhone and a car or bag the size of a small property.
I know this from having one daughter, Florence, nearly three years ago.
And this is why, when it was suggested that I use the October Labour Day public holiday weekend to travel up the NSW coast to Forster with my husband, Florence, and our newborn six-week-old daughter, Isabel, to the newly-renovated Discovery Park there, I was nervous.
How would we go on the road for three and a half hours driving with two children from Sydney?
How would we juggle the balance of equal parents and kids when we checked in to the park for our first trip as a four?
Did we have enough room in the car for two car seats, travel cots, prams, carriers, baby baths and beach trolleys, as well as four humans?
Spoiler alert: I needn’t have worried.
I’m here to tell you that travelling with a newborn baby, toddlers and young kids is possible – and even enjoyable – with the help of Discovery Parks.
We travelled up to the newly-refurbished Forster Holiday Park, some three and a half hours from Sydney, ahead of the public holiday weekend, and it took no longer than two minutes for everyone to feel that this was going to be a weekend to remember.
“Splash park!” my two-year-old screeched excitedly, as we pulled in to the park.
“SUP boards!” my husband exclaimed, upon discovering a stand-up-paddleboard had been helpfully left on the deck of our riverfront cabin.
Serenity, I thought, as I looked onto the adjacent Wallamba river and our deluxe cabin that fronted onto it.
What followed was four full days of absolute bliss.
With picture-perfect weather, we were able to enjoy everything the park had to offer.
The kind Discovery Parks staff had thought of everything, whether it was a cot for our eldest daughter left helpfully in the second bedroom, a handy box of gear for our stay in the kitchen, or activities scheduled throughout each day of the school holidays, from face painting to live music and themed food nights.
We enjoyed early mornings paddle-boarding and breakfasting on the deck, before trips out for much-needed coffee (and babycinos) in the nearby Forster, and mid-mornings spent at the nearby stunning Elizabeth Beach in Booti Booti National Park.
Afternoons were often spent back at Discovery Park HQ, whether by the pool, at the splash park or at the little beach beside the river barbecuing and listening to music, truly relaxed for the first time since having a baby.
In the evenings, we enjoyed the additional daylight hour with some of the best sunsets I’ve seen in a while.
Highlights of our four-day stay were many, but special mention must go to the state-of-the-art splash water park and next-door pool, which quite literally kept our daughter occupied for hours (one small downside: we wished there was a little more shade around the pool).
We also loved the impeccable barbecue facilities on the river, the timber walkway which provides the perfect setting for scooting and biking for kids, and the comfortable, peaceful cabin and its deck – which is perfect for watching the world and the boats go by on the river.
Spoilt with fantastic weather, there’s plenty to do outside the park and nearby, too.
We also enjoyed day trips to Booti Booti National Park and the nearby Black Head Beach, as well as an enjoyable walk along the coastline – which was ideally suited to prams – and an hour or two spent at the Coastal Brewing Company brewery on the Saturday afternoon.
We ended the weekend feeling refreshed and restored, our cups well and truly filled.
I would highly recommend Discovery Parks Forster to anyone keen to get away from it all for a home-away-from-home-but better staycation, whether they are a family, friends or a couple with a dog, who are also welcomed there with open arms.
Nature lovers will enjoy exploring the coast and hinterland national parks, lookouts and beaches, while the river offers fishing, kayaking, SUP boarding and water-skiing for those keen for some water-based fun.
Discovery Parks Forster has recently undergone a $20million major re-development, including 20 new cabins and 30 new sites, a new water park, pool and playground, and it shows.
Camping starts from just $35 a night, with cabins starting from $105.
For more information and to book ahead of the next school holidays, head here now.